Halloween 2008 may go down in history as one of the poorest for trick-or-treaters in Beaver Dam, and I imagine the same must be true in other communities around the state and nation.

As usual, the scariest "long leggedy beastie that goes bump in the night" is the economy.

I, it must be clarified, was one of the cheapskates who left the porch light off and pretended not to be at home. Having spent like a drunk monkey on my own extravagances, there was no money left for miniature Reeses or Kit Kats. I could admire a pair of cabinets, a coffee table, three pairs of candlesticks, a clock and a score of meals out as the fruits of my wastefulness, but that is still a poor excuse. Others lurking in the dark may have spent their money on a hybrid vehicle, a new TV, or a snowblower, or a credit card balance, or gas, or food, or electricity.

Some had better reasons than others.

Walking down the city streets in the middle of the hubbub, I observed that only about one in 12 homeowners had the porch light on. Again, I can't criticize, but it was sad to see.

Certainly there are those who don't celebrate Halloween, based on the belief that it is blasphemy. Some call it a "devil" holiday and will have nothing to do with it. Many, like myself, think they should lighten up. A good scare can be fun. Why else do people ride roller coasters?

I can see their point, but I still think it's silly.

There are those of us who have treasured memories of tramping from one end of town to the other, and gorging on the fruits of their begging (after all, that is what trick or treating is). We still remember the plastic masks and cheap paper outfits. We remember the fun of being with our friends as we scampered from house to house in the eerie darkness. We remember the sorting of good from bad, trading six Tootsie Rolls for a tiny box of Boston Baked Beans — or a fistful of Dum Dum suckers for a treasured Babe Ruth bar.

We ate until it hurt, and hoarded our candy like it was money.

It was better than money because it tasted good.

Luckily for young trick or treaters, there were many this year who picked up our slack. The Halloween decorations were better than ever on some select lawns. There were ghosts and ghouls, skeletons and corpses, witches and demons, hearses and coffins, bats and rats, cemeteries and luminaries, vampires and fake fires, bones and grave stones, red lights and ghastly sights. Some people added music and sound effects to make the illusions even better. Untold rolls of greenbacks went into financing those displays, and countless hours were spent setting them up for viewing.

Many answered their doors in costumes, and got into the spirit (no pun intended for those who wore ghost outfits).

Of course there were a few instances of decorations being stolen, but we were remarkably free of crimes related to smashed pumpkins, missing cutouts and the like.

Thanks goodness for that.

The main thing to be taken away from this missive is that those of us who, for no good reason, chose to play Great Pumpkin and not show up should be ashamed of ourselves. I plan to be at the doorstep next year as penance for my behavior, and I hope others will join in the fun as well.  

Kent Thomas can be reached at:

kthomas@madison.com